My Arrows are better than your Cape
by Sophie6
Summary: "So the guy comes out at night, wearing some costume and fighting bad guys?" Oliver snorted. "Please. Be Original."
1. Starling city

**This came to me last night and was inspired by one of Stephen's comment in the Quiver Podcast recently about Oliver & Bruce Wayne. Just a silly oneshot :)**

* * *

"Did you see there seems to be some sort of vigilante in Gotham City?"

Oliver stilled the punching bag and turned to Felicity.

"I think I heard something about that, yeah."

He walked over to her work station, grabbing a towel on the way and putting it around his neck. She had a few website pages opened on her different screens, all of them featuring the mysterious guy.

"Some call him the Caped Crusader," she read out loud.

"He wears a _cape _?" Oliver asked but she ignored him and went on.

"But mostly they call him Batman. Because his costume is reminiscent of a bat," she explained when Oliver raised an eyebrow.

"So the guy comes out at night, wearing some costume and fighting bad guys?" He snorted. "Please. Be Original."

Felicity hid her smile. "I don't know. He sounds intriguing to me. And he has a pretty cool car." She pointed to a picture featuring a huge, futuristic looking automobile. "Must be a bitch to park, though," she added pensively, and Oliver looked at her incredulously. Why was she suddenly so interested in this wannabe vigilante who dressed like a bat? And a _cape_ ? Seriously ? What could she find so fascinating about that obvious rip-off when she had the real deal at home?

Well...kind of.

"I wonder if he has a lair like us," she mused, unaware of Oliver's internal rambling.

"He must have to hang that ginormous cape and that ridiculous pointy-ears mask," he said.

She ignored his sarcastic comment. "I bet he calls it the Bat cave."

Oliver rolled his eyes. "Don't you have any research to do instead of fangirling about that guy?"

"No, I'm done," she replied absently before suddenly turning her chair to him. "And how do you know what fangirling mean?"

He gave her a painful look. "Thea made me watch 'This is Us' once."

"I'm so sorry," she said with a commiserated look, before turning her attention back to her computers. "I was just curious about who he could be. I mean considering the car, and his various gadgets, and his MO, I think he definitely has money. What do you think?"

Oliver honestly couldn't care less but he always loved seeing her brain at work. She was adorable when she was cogitating.

_Adorable. Not sexy. Absolutely not sexy. _

He cleared his throat and realized she was still talking to him. "Do you know any rich people in Gotham?"

"There's Bruce Wayne. We've been to boarding school together, for a short time. But it can't be him, he's some vapid, womanizing billionaire."

She gave him a pointed look. "You just described yourself."

He shot her an offended glare. "Hey!"

She smiled apologetically. "I didn't mean it like that. But isn't it the exact same image that the people here in Starling city have of you? It's really the perfect cover, if you think about it."

"Maybe," he admitted grudgingly. "I haven't seen Bruce in years, so who knows?"

"You should contact him. If he is indeed Batman, you could have your own super hero club. Call it the Vigilante League, or something. Have secret meetings on wednesday nights and save puppies together on weekends. Oh, and bake sales to finance your missions and expensive equipments" she finished with a playful grin.

The towel that was around Oliver's neck the second before landed on her head.

"Eew. That's all sweaty. I don't mind it on you, but this is just gross."

"You think you're so funny. And we're billionaires. We don't need bake sales."

She shrugged. "All right. But all kidding aside, I just think it could be interesting for you to meet. You might have some common goal, you never know."

"We'll see," he replied noncommittally, not wanting to admit that she was right. She was right 9 times out of 10, and he found it both unnerving and extremely appealing. And then he got confused and he preferred to think about stuff that didn't involve his pretty blonde IT sidekick.

_And he failed everytime. _

He put a t-shirt on before coming back to her desk. "I'm still way cooler than him," he said nonchalantly.

"Of course you are," she answered distractingly, busy shutting down her computers.

"I mean yes, he has a cape, and a cool car, and lots of nifty gadgets, but there's something I'm pretty sure he lacks and I feel sorry for him, actually."

She looked at him curiously. "What's that?"

He put one hand on her desk and the other on the back of her chair and leaned in, his face very close to hers. Her heart skipped a beat when her eyes met the impish light in his blue ones.

"You."


	2. Gotham

**I wasn't planning on continuing this then I had all these ideas, so what's a girl to do ? Enjoy :) (did I mention that reviews are great ? Because you guys spoiled me for the first chapter, so give it your best shot once again :))**

* * *

"I can't believe you convinced me to do this."

Felicity gave Oliver an appraising smile, admiring the way his tuxedo fitted his muscular body.

"Neither can I. You must be getting soft."

His brows drew downward in a frown, but there was no way he could be mad at her, not as she was looking so positively ravishing in that emerald chiffon dress, her golden hair tumbling carelessly down her back. And he wasn't the only one who had noticed it, judging by some of the admiring looks she attracted as they navigated through the crowded ballroom of Wayne Enterprises.

Instinctively his hand came to rest on the small of her back, while shooting a few warning glares here and there. Discreetly of course, as Felicity would have his head if she noticed.

"There's Bruce," he told her, motioning with his head to an attractive man a little further.

"Yes. I recognize him from the pictures," she said, acknowledging that Bruce Wayne was a very good looking and charismatic man. She paused slightly, a bit intimidated all of a sudden.

"Second thoughts?" Oliver asked her, sensing her hesitancy.

"No. Let's do this."

Felicity took a deep breath. Why should she be impressed after all? Bruce was just another billionaire/probably vigilante, and she was dealing on a daily basis with one of those specimen at home – one that was not exactly a walk in the park.

Bruce noticed them a few seconds before they made contact.

"Oliver Queen," he greeted them, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Bruce. It's been a long time."

They stared at each other for a minute and Felicity could practically see the testosterone flying. Rolling her eyes, she kicked Oliver in the shin.

"Uh, this is my assistant, Felicity Smoak. Felicity, Bruce Wayne."

Bruce took Felicity's hand and raised it to his mouth.

"Miss Smoak...It is a pleasure."

"Nice to meet you, mr Wayne," she replied gracefully, trying not to blush. The man was definitely very charming.

"Please call me Bruce."

"All right. And it's Felicity then."

They exchanged a smile, both obviously enjoying this little flirtatious moment. Oliver cleared his throat – a little too loudly for it to be natural.

"So, what brings you to Gotham?" Bruce enquired.

"We actually came to talk to you," Felicity answered.

"Really? It's business matters then?"

Oliver and Felicity exchanged a look. This time Oliver replied, "Not exactly. Is there somewhere we can talk in private?"

"Right now?"

"We have to be back in Starling city tomorrow afternoon," Felicity explained.

"Well then, I suppose that if you came all this way for just one night it must be important." He motioned to a young man standing close by. "Julian will accompany you to my office. I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

As they were making their way out of the room and towards the executive floor, Oliver pointed to his shin with a glare. "That hurt, you know."

She let out an incredulous laugh. "What? I barely touched you!"

He made a show of limping exaggeratedly and she slapped him on the arm. "You're such an idiot," she told him with a smile as he made an 'ouch' face and clutched his arm to his chest.

They were brought into Bruce's office and Julian closed the door behind him as he left.

Oliver walked to the window. The office had a pretty vantage point of the Gotham skyline.

"Not bad," he mentioned casually and Felicity laughed softly.

"Let me guess. Your office is better than his office?"

He turned around, smiling back. "Something like that."

Bruce came in at that moment. "Please, let's sit down," he offered, and they settled down in the comfortable couches. "I heard about your father. I'm sorry."

Oliver nodded. "Thank you."

"So, what's this pressing matter? I must admit you have me intrigued."

"We were wondering if you heard of the Arrow," Felicity spoke.

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "The Starling city infamous vigilante? Yes, of course. As I'm sure that you've heard about our own caped crusader."

Felicity's resolve faltered once again. Maybe they were completely wrong about this. Because the way he casually mentioned it, either he was not the vigilante, or he was an excellent actor. Like, George Clooney excellent. Was it really reasonable to trust him with the revelation of Oliver's alter ego?

Strangely in tunes with her feelings, Oliver put a hand on her knee. "I'm sorry, this was a mistake. We won't be wasting your time any further."

Bruce chuckled. "Come on, Oliver. Either you've said too much, or not enough. And your lovely Felicity obviously has something to say."

"Coming here was my idea," she admitted, and as Bruce turned a curious look her way, she sat a little straighter. "We know the Arrow personally, and we were wondering if maybe you did knew Batman...personally," she asked in a very serious tone, because she realized how her question could sound ludicrous.

Bruce was obviously taken aback. "Ok, I didn't expect that."

"We thought that it might be interesting for the Arrow and Batman to meet, considering they seem to have a similar goal." This time it was Oliver who spoke.

Bruce narrowed his eyes at the two people sitting in front of him. "And how close exactly are you to the Arrow?"

Oliver and Felicity exchanged another look. "Very close," Oliver answered, his tone guarded.

There was a heavy silence, as Bruce seemed to process this and think of the best way to answer. And then he appeared to reach a decision.

"As a matter of fact, I am indeed...very close to Batman too. A meeting could be a possibility. But the Arrow would have to come to Gotham, then."

"Maybe he already is," Felicity answered, tilting her head and giving him a knowing smile. She had been right to trust him, she was sure of it now.

Bruce smiled back, obviously understanding everything that was _not_ said.

"I see. Where are you staying?"

They gave him the name of their hotel, and Bruce arranged for them to be picked up at 9 am the next morning.

As they made their way back to the party, Bruce put his hand on Felicity's back. "You know, if I understood our conversation correctly, that color is a very bold choice for a dress. But you look beautiful in it," he whispered and she laughed softly, ignoring Oliver's sudden frowning.

"I have to go back to my guests. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Thank you for your time, Bruce," Oliver told him sincerely.

The Gotham billionaire left them, and Felicity turned to her friend. "I think he got it. Don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess he did."

"Shall we go back to the hotel?"

Oliver smiled at her, taking her hand in his. "What about a dance instead?"

"Uh..Ok."

She noticed that there was indeed a few couples dancing. Oliver led her to the dance floor, and put an arm around her waist, the other holding her hand and putting it against his chest.

"The hard part is over. You can relax, now," he said softly against her forehead, a teasing smile creeping at his lips. She tried to keep her cool at his close proximity.

_If you want me to relax, stop caressing my back with your hand, Oliver Queen!_

"You know, as much as it pains me to admit it, Bruce was right." She raised her eyes to meet his, and he added, "You look gorgeous in that dress."

This time she didn't try to hide her blush – she couldn't have done it to save her life anyway. He smiled, obviously very happy with himself, and she refrained from kicking him in the other shin.

He was a smug idiot, but she lov...liked him anyway.

* * *

The next morning, Bruce's limo was there at 9am sharp. They climbed in the car to find the man himself waiting for them.

After a few pleasantries, Felicity suddenly blurted, "Just to be sure, we are clear on the fact that Oliver is the Arrow and that you are Batman, right?"

Both men looked at her a bit startled then Bruce started to laugh. "Unless I completely misunderstood last night's conversation, that fact seemed pretty clear, yes."

"Ok then," she said, looking satisfied and Oliver let out a small affectionate chuckle.

"So where are you taking us?" she asked.

"To the docks. After Wayne Manor was destroyed, I had to move my...operations somewhere else. It's a secret facility under one of my warehouses."

Felicity gave a knowing look to Oliver. "And may we know if it has a name?"

Bruce seemed a bit surprised by the question but replied nonetheless, "Alfred calls it the Bat cave."

She sent Oliver a triumphant look that he cowardly ignored, asking instead, "Who's Alfred?"

"Originally, he's my butler. But from what I see, he's apparently my own version of Felicity – just less pretty."

Once at the warehouse Bruce dismissed the chauffeur and let them to a cleverly hidden elevator leading to the secret basement.

Felicity gasped as they entered the place, which was covered in the latest high tech equipments. One of the walls was covered with screens.

Bruce left them for a minute to go talk to an older man sitting in front of that wall.

"Oh my God," Felicity whispered while admiring her surroundings. "I think I just had an orgasm."

She heard Oliver sudden sharp intake of breath and looked at him.

"I did say that out loud, right? Please ignore me."

He gave her a blank look. "Gladly."

Bruce came back and introduced them to Alfred, and they spent the next hour talking about vigilante stuff. Felicity admired the costume, and was glad when Oliver refrained to comment about the cape. "I did the same for Oliver's," she mentioned, indicating the glass cage where it was held.

"She re-designed our lair last year," Oliver said without trying to hide his pride while looking at his IT girl.

Bruce smiled knowingly. "So is it just the two of you?"

"No, there's Diggle. He was supposed to come but fell ill just the day before. You'll probably get to meet him next time."

They both watched Felicity who was talking excitedly with Alfred while showing him something on one of the computers.

"I always thought you had a good taste in women, but it looks like you struck gold with that one," Bruce commented casually.

"Well, it's not...We're not...It's much, _much_ more than that," Oliver answered, his gaze fixed on the pretty blonde.

Bruce chuckled. "I can imagine. Either way, you're a lucky bastard."

"I know," Oliver confirmed softly.

Shortly after it was time for Felicity and Oliver to go back to Starling City, so Bruce dropped them at the airport, promising that they would keep in touch.

* * *

An hour later they were comfortably installed in the jet. Oliver was sitting on the couch, Felicity next to him, her legs folded under her and her tablet in her hands. His arm was casually resting on the back behind her.

"So, he wasn't that bad, right?" she asked him, a glint of humor in her blue eyes.

"No he wasn't. It was a good idea," he admitted.

"Great! So I've been thinking, it might be interesting to try and track other people like you and Bruce. I mean, it can't just be the two of you. I'm pretty sure there must be others fighting for justice in this country. I mean, I hope so."

"There are plenty of people fighting for justice, but I don't think many of them do it with a double identity," he remarked.

"Probably not. But those are the ones we need to find. I was looking earlier, and there's this guy who was spotted in Metropolis, and apparently he could fly."

Oliver snorted. "You're totally making that up."

"I don't . I know it seems far-fetched, but we could still check it out, right? I actually have a friend who works at the Daily Planet. I could give her a call," she finished with a charming smile.

He raised an eyebrow. "We do still have a city to save, remember? Do we really have the time to go gallivanting across the country in search of hypothetic, flying vigilantes ?"

She gave him a cute pout. "We could make the time. Also, strength in number, right? The more of you, the more you can accomplish."

He looked at her with a half-amused, half-exasperated smile, the one that said 'I really want to but dammit I can't say no to you.'

"Ok, we'll figure it out," he caved and the brilliant smile she gave him erased any doubt he might have had about this crazy idea.

It was still a bit crazy, though.

But as long as she didn't want him to wear a cape, he was ok with it.


	3. Metropolis

**First of all, thanks to the lovely people who read/reviewed/followed this. It means a lot, as this was supposed to be a silly little oneshot and it turned into this...thing :))**

**Anyway, a few things to know before reading this : I used Smallville's Lois & Clark, with a few changes, as I'm obviously ignoring their own Green Arrow (sorry Justin). So this is a bit of an AU Smallville for also other reasons that you'll discover while reading :)**

**Enjoy !**

* * *

"So not only is he wearing a red cape, but he also wears his underpants over his tights?"

"It's a costume, Oliver. Some people like to wear green leather, some prefer red & blue...and tights."

Diggle caught the end of their conversation as he walked down the stairs.

"What's going on?"

"We're planning our trip to Metropolis," Felicity said, welcoming him with a smile.

"Oh yeah, to meet that Superman guy."

"So you heard about him?" Oliver asked.

"Well, obviously, the guy can fly. He was all over the news a while ago. You really didn't know?"

Oliver raised his hands. "Stranded on a not so deserted island for 5 years."

They both looked at Felicity.

"I remember hearing something about it but I thought it was a hoax," she admitted before adding, "Also I wasn't much into superhero stuff before I met you guys."

Diggle leaned against Felicity's work station. "Hopefully he'll agree to join Oliver' superheroes club."

"I don't have a superheroes club," Oliver muttered.

Felicity turned to him. "Not yet. But we're getting there."

"Maybe. But we're not calling it 'Oliver'superheroes club'."

She rolled her eyes. "Duh! We'll find a cooler name."

He shot her an offended look. "What's wrong with that name?"

"What? Fifteen seconds ago you didn't like it!"

"That was before you said my name was not cool!"

"Children!"

Diggle's voice resounded in the foundry and both Oliver and Felicity jumped a little.

"Let's wait to have an actual club before naming it," he told them with a pointed look. "Also...you do know he's an alien, right?"

Felicity's lips tightened and she looked everywhere but at Oliver.

His eyes widened slightly. "That would explain the shiny red cape and the underpants," he said, before squinting at Felicity. "You left that part out."

She gave him her best innocent look. "Did I? No no, I'm pretty sure I mentioned it at least once," and she smiled at him sweetly, to which he responded with a mocking stare.

"How do you plan on meeting him?" Diggle asked.

"My friend Lois works at the Daily Planet. She's been writing a lot of articles about him and even got a few interviews. I'm pretty sure she can set up a meeting."

"And I'll take the opportunity to get an appointment at Luthorcorp," Oliver added. "My father had some business with Lex and I want to end it."

"I would love to meet Lex Luthor," Felicity said excitedly. "Can I come with you?"

"Definitely not."

Something in his tone startled the young woman. Even Diggle raised an inquisitive eyebrow at his friend's demeanor.

Oliver soften his voice. "I'm serious, Felicity. The guy is bad news. He's nothing like Bruce. We were at boarding school together. He's dangerous, and I don't want you anywhere near him."

Normally she would have been a bit miffed by his territorial attitude but something in his tone and the look on his face dissuaded her to argue.

"Ok," she just said and he smiled.

"I'll hold the fort while you're gone," Diggle said. Felicity rose from her chair, explaining to him in great details which computer was doing what and why he couldn't use them.

Diggle smiled. "You could just have said 'don't touch anything'."

"Well no, because you can use that one," she said pointing at one of the screens, "If you want to play Solitaire."

* * *

It was cold and sunny when they arrived in Metropolis, and after checking-in at their hotel they agreed to meet after their respective meetings for lunch in front of the Luthorcorp building.

On their way there Felicity had wanted to know more about Lex Luthor and Oliver had told her what he knew – that Lex was dealing in shady businesses, and that too many people had been disappearing or been victims of random 'accidents' after having been involved with him. He had once heard Robert mentioning that he deeply regretted setting up a partnership with him.

"You mean he's worse than Malcolm?" Felicity had asked.

"Much worse."

The young woman had looked at him with uneasiness. "But isn't it dangerous to let him know that you don't want to have anything to do with him anymore?"

He had smiled at her reassuringly. "Getting out every night with a bow and arrows is dangerous. That's the life I lead. I'd rather take that chance than having Queen Consolidated being associated with him any longer."

"I see. Be careful, though," she had said, uncertainty tainting her voice. He already had enough people wanting to take him and his alter ego down without adding a lethally dangerous one to the list.

He had placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, squeezing it slightly.

She pushed all thoughts of Lex Luthor – and the way her stupid body reacting to Oliver's hand on her shoulder – away while entering the Daily Planet building and walking down the stairs to Lois'desk.

They had met at school ten years ago when Lois' father had been stationed in Coast city for a while. Lois was slightly older but they had hit it off instantly, and even when the Lanes had left they had kept in touch.

Lois rose from her desk and came to hug her. "Felicity! So great to see you. It's been way too long."

Felicity hugged her back, glad to see her friend. She didn't have a lot of friends in Starling, and the few she had made at work had been ignoring her after her promotion. Which meant they were not real friends to begin with, so she didn't regretted them that much (even if it still hurt a bit sometime.)

"Here, let me take Clark's chair. He won't be back for a while."

Both women sat down. "So, I want to know everything about Oliver Queen," Lois said with a knowing smile.

"You know everything already. Nothing new happened since we talked on the phone 4 days ago."

Lois pouted. "Ok, gotta admit, a little disappointed here. But never mind, all in good time, right? Tell me what I can do for you."

Felicity lowered her voice a bit. "I need you to arrange a meeting with Superman."

Lois raised an eyebrow. "Ok, I didn't see that one coming. Uh...may I ask, why?"

"You know Starling's vigilante, the Arrow? Well, I know him. I...we kind of work together? I mean, I help him for some stuff and..."

Lois interrupted her by raising her hand. "What?!"

Her shout attracted a few looks so Lois stood up and motioned for Felicity to do the same, leading her into an empty storage room.

"Are you serious?"

Felicity smiled. "Yes, I am. It's a long story, and I promise to tell you all about it soon, but right now I really need to talk to Superman."

"You'd better tell me all about it sooner than later! And yes, I can arrange a meeting, but do you mind telling me why?"

"We're thinking of putting together some sort of superhero club. I know, that sounds a bit lame said like that, it would be more like a league or something, we haven't really think of the specifics yet. Anyway we went to Gotham and met Batman already, and he was ok with it. So we thought we could try Superman next."

Lois processed this for a few seconds. "Ok, that sounds like a great idea, actually. I can arrange a meeting at my place tonight."

Felicity hugged her quickly. "Thanks ! I'll come with the Arrow around 8 pm, is that ok?"

Lois laughed. "Felicity Smoak, helping out vigilantes. Not something I expected from you, I have to admit."

"I didn't really expect it either. It just happened. I don't regret it, though."

Lois put her hand on her forearm. "Yeah, I know the feeling," she said with an understanding smile.

Both women returned to Lois desk where a dark-hair man with glasses was busy wiping what was obviously spilled coffee from the desk.

"Clark. Really?" Lois asked with affectionate irritation.

The young man raised his head, welcoming her with a smile. "Hey Lois." He threw the towels in the trash. "The lead was a bust, so I came back."

"Sorry to hear that. Clark, this is Felicity Smoak, and old friend of mine from Starling city. Felicity, meet Clark Kent, my partner and fiancé."

Clark extended his hand and Felicity shook it. He had a boyish look and a nerdy kind of charm. He actually reminded her of someone but she couldn't remember who right now.

"Nice to meet you, Clark. I've heard a lot about you."

"I'll set up this...thing for tonight then. You have my address, right?"

"I do. And thank you, Lois."

"Don't mention it. I'm excited to meet your superhero too," she whispered with a wink.

* * *

Felicity arrived a few minutes before Oliver stepped out of the Luthorcorp building.

"How did it go?"

Oliver shrugged. "Better than I expected. Not sure If I should be happy or worried. What about you?"

She smiled excitedly. "We have to be at Lois'apartment tonight at 8. She seemed confident that he would go with it."

"Good. Any idea where you want to have lunch?"

"Well Lois recommended this nice restau..."

"So this is why you were such in a hurry to leave, Oliver," a voice spoke behind them.

Felicity felt Oliver froze. He slowly turned around, partly shielding her from the newcomer's view and Felicity understood immediately who he was.

"It's my assistant. We were leaving."

Lex sent him a mocking look. "Well, that is no reason for hiding her. Where are your manners? I'm Lex Luthor," he said, extending his hand to Felicity who had no choice but to take it.

"Felicity Smoak," she introduced herself reluctantly. If she had been flattered by Bruce Wayne's attentions, Lex's appreciative gaze made her feel uncomfortable. She started to understand what Oliver had meant.

"Bring her with you next time, Oliver," Lex suggested with a sly grin.

Oliver's face darkened. "There won't be a next time, remember?"

The other man nodded, obviously enjoying this. "Ah, but you never know. Starling city is not that far after all," he said before walking away with a mock salute.

Oliver took Felicity by the arm. "Let's go."

* * *

The lunch was tense at first, but after a few moments Oliver started to relax and Felicity even succeeded in making him smile.

After lunch they decided to go back to the hotel to work and rest a bit before their meeting at Lois.

In the middle of the afternoon, there was a knock on the door and a bellboy walked in with a huge bouquet of flowers.

"For Miss Felicity Smoak," he said, leaving after Oliver tipped him.

"Oh, Oliver, you shouldn't have," she told him mischievously, knowing perfectly well they weren't from him.

He gave her a curt smile. "There's a card."

She opened it, her heart sinking in her chest as she read the words.

_'That encounter was too brief for my taste. Until wee meet again, hopefully. Lex.'_

She bit her lip. Damn. In a few seconds, Lex was going to have a very pissed off Arrow breathing down his neck.

Oliver put his hands on his waist, raising an inquisitive eyebrow. She handed him the note, but the dangerous glint in his eyes told her that he knew already. He glanced briefly at the note.

"Son of a ..."

He threw the note on the table and started pacing in circle, one hand on his neck and the other one still on his waist.

Why this seemed to be such a big deal to him, Felicity didn't know exactly. It was more than just jealousy because some guy sent her flowers. And ok, Lex was apparently dangerous, but she was dealing with dangerous guys in Starling on a daily basis.

She had to intervene before his temper got the best of him. She had realized a while ago that when it came to her or her safety, Oliver had a very, _very_ short temper.

She closed the distance between them, putting her hand on his arm.

"Come on Oliver, you know he's doing this to provoke you. He doesn't care about me. He just want to rattle your chains."

He took a sharp intake of breath, looking at the ceiling then back at her. He put his hand on her shoulder, his thumb brushing her collarbone. Most times it was a gesture he used to comfort her, but this time it was obvious that he was the one needing it, as if to anchor himself to her and let go of the seething anger and fear he was feeling. She brought a hand to his cheek, looking at him tenderly.

"Please don't be mad."

He sighed, feeling his body relaxing a bit at her soothing voice. He released her shoulder, his arm easing up to wrap around her body and she could feel the muscles beneath his shirt flexing as he tightened his hold on her. His hand moved up and down her spine gently and he pressed his cheek to the crown of her head, taking solace in her serene breathing and the way her body molded perfectly into his.

"I'm not mad...I'm scared," he finally admitted softly. "The less Lex knows about my life and the people I care about the better."

"He thinks I'm just your assistant. He doesn't know."

He let out a humorless laugh, taking her face in his hands. "Felicity, if Lex decides to investigate a bit deeper, believe me, he will know." His voice dropped an octave. "He will know how important you are to me."

She shivered slightly at the intensity she read in his blue eyes and the meaning behind his words.

Her voice was slightly shaky when she said, "Well I have Batman, and you, and hopefully Superman to watch over me. It's all the protection a girl could need, right?"

Her attempt at humor worked and his lips twitched before he leaned down, depositing a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth. She closed her eyes, savoring that too brief moment of intimacy.

He finally let go of her. "We should go grab a bite before meeting Lois and Superman," he suggested, his voice back to normal.

On their way to the restaurant he held her hand and it didn't cross her mind to deny him that simple gesture.

She needed it too.

* * *

Felicity had to admit that upon seeing the costume for the first time, it did look a bit ...weird. But Superman was really handsome and he had a really ripped, muscular body that she definitely appreciated – after all she had two beautiful specimen at home.

Also, he looked familiar.

Wait.

"Oh, for crying out loud. _Clark Kent?_"

The three other people in the room turned towards her, surprise on Lois and Superman's faces, confusion on Oliver's. Not that it was obvious since he was in full Arrow gear.

Clark turned to Lois. "See, I told you that people would end up noticing."

"Well so far it worked for all of Metropolis and most of the World, so..." the pretty brunette retorted.

"Felicity is smarter than most of the World," Oliver commented. "Care to explain?"

Felicity turned to him. "Clark is Lois' fiancé and partner at the Daily Planet. I met him earlier today. He had glasses on." She laughed suddenly, taking off her own glasses. "Seriously ? I'm pretty sure I wouldn't fool anybody in Starling like this even if I wore a cape."

"You would look cute, though," Lois smiled. "Well, since the cat's out of the bag..."

"...Maybe you can reveal your identity to us too," Clark finished.

Oliver hesitated. Even if Lois was a friend of Felicity, he didn't know them. Plus they were reporters. On the other end, they had come here to ask Superman to join this...club, or whatever it was they were trying to do, so showing a little trust was probably a good first step.

Lois directed her frank look at him. "Don't worry. I know what it's like to have to protect someone's double identity. Especially someone you love," she added for Felicity, and after a look at his blonde partner, Oliver removed the hood.

There was a moment of surprise obviously, but Lois and Clark recovered quickly. Lois sent a knowing look to Felicity who blushed furiously and ignored her.

They spent the next hour discussing what they had come there for, and Clark was on board immediately. He had heard of Batman and had been thinking about gathering people like them for a while now.

"Did you come up with a name?" Felicity asked.

Clark smiled. "Not yet. Did you?"

"Well we already know what we're _not_ calling it," Oliver said with a warning glance to Felicity who stuck his tongue at him.

The rest of the evening was spent pleasantly. Before they left, Lois took Felicity aside.

"So you have your own super hero now. Just another thing we have in common," she winked.

"Well he's not _my_ super hero...we're friends and partners."

Lois scoffed. "Yes, that's exactly how Clark and I started. And dear God it took him the longest time to get over his first love. At some point I thought I was going to have to start literally slapping some sense into his pretty head."

"Yeah, I know the feeling," Felicity muttered.

"I see. You have one of those back home too ? Don't worry. The way he's looking at you, she won't be in the picture much longer," Lois whispered with a knowing smile.

They parted a few minutes later, arranging to meet with Bruce in the near future.

"Well, this is really starting to take shape," Felicity said happily once in the cab back to their hotel. Oliver had changed back into a regular hoodie under his jacket.

His arm came to rest casually on the back seat behind her shoulders. "Thanks to you. You're the instigator. We might make a big difference in the future if this actually works."

"Since it was my idea, do I get to give orders and boss everyone around ?"

He gave her a lopsided smile. "Isn't that what you're doing already?"

She elbowed him but before she could come up with a witty retort her phone buzzed.

She opened it, and despite the relative darkness of the cab's interior, he could see she was paling.

"What?" he frowned, concerned.

A wide grin spread on her face. "It's Barry. He's awake."


End file.
